Bolstering the Background Characters · 4:35pm Apr 18th, 2013
So, if the series continues for a couple of more seasons, one of the things I think they will have to do is more work on characterizing the background ponies. I was thinking about that a lot while I was planning Taking a Job for Granite because Humble was a blank slate (heh heh-slate) and I could do anything with the guy. That's kind of daunting, but also exciting. The possibilities are limitless, but with that comes the responsibility of creating something worthy of the character. It's the main reason why Humble is alone in my story. As soon as I saw him, I knew him. I could hear him in my head. I understood what he was about.
At least, in a way that is satisfactory to me. I don't want to make it seem like I've crafted the ultimate interpretation of that particular background pony. But he fired my imagination.
I can't say the same for his wife or Pinkie's sisters. When I look at them, they don't really do anything for me. Part of that was the name. It came to me almost immediately that his name should be Humble Pie. He is both a humble farmer and he is dishing humble pie for Trixie to eat constantly. The name drove the formation of his character, along with the need to reconsile how Pinkie Pie could be so weird while growing up in such a severe environment.
But when I see Pinkie's mom and sisters, those names don't jump out at me, and therefore they are absent.
Now, that 'a-ha' moment is what draws me to certain background characters. There are little tidbits that I want to see more of. Writers of MLP, this is what I want to see:
1 - More Cheerilee. That moment when the CMC ask about why she alone on Hearts and Hooves Day. She makes that slightly sad, slightly annoyed face and her ears go down. It's easy to write that off as an annoyed reaction to a somewhat insensitive question, but I think there is a lot of potential for something there. That one face makes me love Cheerilee so much more and makes her a deeper character than, say, Mayor Mare. I want to know more about her because of it.
2 - More Big Macintosh. Big Mac is obviously a catch. Why is he isolated on that farm? I know MLP isn't really about adult relationships, but he's got a good head on his shoulders. He's a mystery to me. His moment comes when he's having the conversation with Applejack at the beginning of Applebuck Season. He's clearly in the right. He's rational and well-spoken. He's also totally run over by his sister. How did he lose that argument? I know the focus really isn't on him, but I want to know how a smart, strong stallion ends up shy and seemingly content to be in the background being told what to do.
3 - More Silver Spoon. I wouldn't care one way or the other about Silver Spoon except for that moment where she's interested in Granny Smith's story. Otherwise, she's window dressing, but that brief break from Diamond Tiara makes her into a character that might have more to say. Is she just a history buff? Is she actually a gentler soul? Did Diamond Tiara care about that moment? Admittedly, I don't care about Silver Spoon all that much, but they have created an opening, and it might be nice to have a bittersweet villain with some understandable motivations to walk along side the pure 'bitch for the sake of it' that is Diamond Tiara. Wouldn't it be interesting to see Silver Spoon wanting to make some other friends but basically being constantly hemmed in by Diamond Tiara? That's getting into an abusive relationship, which is way too dark for MLP, but it could be done in a way that makes kids look at the kinds of friends they choose.
4 - More Shining Armor and Cadence. There isn't so much of an a-ha moment for these two as there is a gaping void. They are important second-tier characters that we know almost nothing about. MLP has had several episodes to add some depth to them, but so far they have skipped on it. Cadence in particular is an enigma. What is her power about, exactly? So she just creates love? Is it everlasting? Can she do it to anyone? Why didn't she just zap Sombra with it? I dunno because they haven't done squat with her.
5 - More Fancypants. This guy seems like the sole decent stallion in a sea of Canterlot assholes. Why is that? What makes him special? I'd love to see more about the guy. A Rarity/Fancypants episode would be nice. Or maybe go the opposite way and make a Rainbow Dash/Fancypants episode. It would kinda be like My Fair Lady. But his decency to Rarity in Sweet and Elite stands out to me. It makes me want to know more.
6 - More Thunderland and Cloud Kicker. How did they get such awesome hair? There are entire seasons that could be devoted to that hair!
Well, it's as I usually say. If the official writers don't expand on it, the fanfic writers usually will. For evidence of this, just pick any story involving Octavia and Vinyl Scratch.
But if we are to forego that, here are the character I'd like to see expanded upon in canon:
1. The Wonderbolts
The only ones who have any established personality in that group are Spitfire and Soarin', and even then, we don't know that much about them. They're the best fliers in Equestria and are supposedly stage performers. I say "supposedly" because they seem to also seem to have a role in Equestrian politics (such as Spitfire monitoring the rainwater collection in Hurricane Fluttershy). I'd like to know how that works.
2. Rarity/Rainbow Dash's parents
I'll admit, Rarity's parents would probably be easier to expand upon, since they actually have personalities established. I heard a theory that Rarity tries to be as different from them as possible, and seeing how they act, that wouldn't surprise me. And honestly, I'd like to see more of that.
But that doesn't mean Rainbow's parents should be left in the lurch. You could have a whole episode about why Rainbow moved to Ponyville, and how her parents reacted when she left the nest.
3. Shining Armor
Pretty much for the reasons you cited. I'm not including Cadence in this because there is a story that is considered canon (why I don't know) that explains her ascension to princesshood. I think it's called Princess Cadence and the Crystal Heart, or something along those lines.
4. Clover the Clever
I'll admit, this one is kinda weird, but hear me out. I covered this in my story Open Letter, but I feel that it would be rather disheartening being mentored by a master of magic who doesn't understand friendship. It would be a long shot to be sure, but an episode expanding on that would be most welcome.
1017568 Yeah, the Wonderbolts are a great pick! I'd love to know more about them.
I'd also be interested in Clover the Clever. Of course, they would have to do some serious backstory for that, but I would enjoy that.
And while fanfiction's whole basic function is to fill in this stuff, it's just not totally satisfying to me unless it's from the actual creators. There is just this little section of my brain that says, "Yeah, that's a good idea, but..." There is no way around that, though. The writers can only put in so much stuff. I just need to shake off my anal retentive nature and learn to enjoy the stories for what they are.
My thoughts:
Cheerilee-
The problem with that face of Cheerilee's is that it's too grown up for a kids show. To me it's totally "I'm an educated, friendly, cute pony, and yet my plans for Hearts and Hooves Day are to eat a box of half-priced candy and have a glass of wine while I grade papers, and these little girls are asking about my lovelife."
That is an awesome story, but not really one for MLP. And besides, she seems to be hanging out with Mac lately, so that one might be past.
Big Mac-
This so much! I love Big Mac, every little bit we see of him. And I feel kind of sorry for him, between Granny Smith, AJ, and even Apple Bloom there just doesn't seem room for him to get a word in edgewise or have an opinion of his own.
Silver Spoon- I'm actually not interested in Silver Spoon, but I'm very interested in Filthy Rich. There's a pony with the potential to be a three dimensional antagonist- he obviously spoils Diamond Tiara, but he also knows right from wrong and can make her behave herself. He's friendly with the Apples, but he's also a businessman. His presentation for the school isn't mean or rude, it's just too boring for school foals. In the three scenes he's in, there's so much set up both in terms of sympathy and potential conflict.
Shining Armor and Cadance- I feel like Shining Armor is pretty well defined, but I agree about Cadance. And Cadance is even more important because with her powers she seriously borders on Mary Sue. We need to get some info about her before she saves the day again, or it's just going to get to the point of eye-rolling.
Fancy Pants- Who doesn't love Fancy Pants? There are a million ways he could be used. Mentor, benefactor, patron. I feel like he'd be most interesting with Twilight, Rarity, Dash or Fluttershy. I'm not sure what Pinkie would have to do with him, and Applejack kind of has the Oranges for the same role if it came up in an episode.
I couldn't care less about Thunderlane and Cloud Kicker.
1017746 You don't care about Thunderlane or Cloud Kicker?! How dare you? HOW DARE YOU?!
Actually, I don't really care about them, either, beyond that I love the way the two of them look. They were mostly there as a side joke with Statoose.
When it comes to Cheerilee, I don't think they have to pursue that particular story, but what that moment did was make me stop thinking of her as just background. For example, I couldn't care less if I see Mr. and Mrs. Cake again. I wouldn't miss them if the show got rid of them, but I'd miss Cheerilee if they wrote her out because that moment of vulnerability made me like her more. I don't necessarily need to see why she's alone (if she is still alone), but I just want to know more about her in general.
I'd love to know more about Filthy Rich, as well, but I consider him to be a tertiary level pony. I was trying to stick with the second tier here, but if they want to flesh out the back-background, I'm all for that, too. I agree that he would make a spectacular character, probably more prone to villiany, but perhaps not. It's not really something that MLP would use, but it would be interesting to see him in a Lex Luthor role. From one point of view, Luthor is a hero. He employees a ton of people. His inventions have benefited the world. He funds charities and he's helped the environment. On the other hand, he's a power-hungry sociopath who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. To scale that back to MLP levels, it might be interesting to see both the good and the bad that money can bring. It might be a nice lesson for the CMC.
When it comes to Shining Armor, I feel like I don't know nearly as much about him as I could, but then again, I really don't know much about Celestia. I know he's hard-working and sincere. I know he loves Cadence (big surprise). I know he wanted to be a royal guard and achieved that. Finally, I know he can make a force field. I don't really feel like that is a lot for a character who has been fairly involved in four episodes and appeared in one or two more. I'm not faulting MLP on that, really. He's not the focus. But if they are looking to fill in some holes, I'd like to know more about the guy, and especially the relationship with Cadence.